Team USA will meet Hungary in the quarterfinals of the 2026 FIBA Women's World Cup on Thursday after the Hungarians took care of Japan on Tuesday in their quarterfinal qualification matchup. Thursday's matchup will be an early one for American fans in the States, with tip-off in Berlin set for 5:30 a.m. ET (11:30 a.m. local time).
This is the first time that the United States and Hungary will meet at the Women's World Cup since 1986, when Team USA secured a 78-63 win in the group stage. USA Basketball published footage of that game on its YouTube page, and it's a fascinating watch.
The 1986 tournament is also the last time that Hungary reached the quarterfinals of the World Cup. They have never finished better than fifth in the competition, and that was back in 1957.
"I think it's going to be a great game, " Hungary star and Minnesota Lynx forward Dorka Juhász said. "Not many times Hungary have faced USA in any shape or form, so I think it's going to be fun. It's already a big thing that we're in the top eight in the world. It's been, what, 40 years? But we're going to rest. We're going to bring our hearts, our fight, and give all we have in that game."
Ahead of Thursday's rematch, 40 years in the making, here's everything you need to know.
Where to watch USA vs. Hungary
Date: Thursday, Sept. 10 | Time: 5:30 a.m. ET
Location: Berlin Arena -- Berlin, Germany
TV: TNT | Live stream: HBO Max
Odds (via FanDuel): Team USA -30.5 | O/U: 155.5
Hungary scouting report
Playing through the bigs
The first thing you need to know about Hungary is that everything runs through its bigs, Juhász and Virag Takacs-Kiss, who both stand 6-foot-4. They have been excellent in Berlin. Juhász is averaging a double-double at 15.3 points and 11 rebounds per game, while Takacs-Kiss is at 14 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. Together, they've scored 117 of Hungary's 290 points (40.3%).
Though neither is especially dynamic or explosive, they do provide versatility. Both are willing shooters and passers, and when playing together, they can interchange between the post and the perimeter. They will also make their presence felt on the offensive glass.
Hungary's guards rarely look for their own offense early in possessions, and their first option is always to get the ball into the paint to one of their bigs, either through a direct post-up or a pick-and-roll (they will also pick-and-pop). The key for Team USA will be preventing deep post position and easy catches. Once Juhász or Takacs-Kiss has the ball on the block, they're tough to deal with and often command double teams that create advantages for Hungary. But if Team USA can deny them the ball, Hungary's offense will stall out.
This will be a big game for Aliyah Boston, who is Team USA's lone center and had to do a lot of the dirty work in the win over China in the group stage.
Extremely turnover-prone
In its group stage opener against France, Hungary turned the ball over six times in the first five minutes, immediately fell behind by double digits and never recovered. By the end of its 46-point defeat, Hungary had committed 22 turnovers, which led to 29 points for France.
Even in their victories in Berlin, turnovers have been a major issue for the Hungarians.
| Opponent | Result | Turnovers | Opp. points off TO |
|---|---|---|---|
France | 53-99 | 22 | 29 |
Nigeria | 71-67 | 26 | 25 |
South Korea | 82-73 | 21 | 22 |
Japan | 84-63 | 17 | 20 |
Hungary is averaging a tournament-worst 21.5 turnovers per game, and its opponents are averaging a whopping 24 points off turnovers.
Hungary's guards struggle with pressure, whether directly on-ball or being blitzed/trapped in the pick-and-roll, and often try to force the ball into their bigs. Additionally, the team's lack of athleticism can be a real issue. Team USA has the size and athletes to exploit this weakness, just as France did.
Rhyne Howard and Angel Reese could cause serious havoc for Team USA in this matchup.
Will Reka Lelik step up?
In Tuesday's quarterfinal qualification game against Japan, Reka Lelik poured in 23 points on 8 of 12 from the field and added eight rebounds and four assists in one of the best performances of her national team career. Lelik is Hungary's third-leading scorer in Berlin at 12.3 points per game, but she's been inconsistent:
- vs. France: 8 points on 3 of 10 shooting
- vs. Nigeria: 14 points on 5 of 10 shooting
- vs. South Korea: 4 points on 0 of 3 shooting
- vs. Japan: 23 points on 8 of 12 shooting
That follows the same trend we saw in the World Cup Qualifying Tournament in Istanbul, when Lelik had three double-digit scoring outings and a combined two points in Hungary's other two games.
If Hungary wants to pull off a major upset against Team USA, it will need Lelik to step up again on Thursday. As great as Juhász and Takacs-Kiss are inside, someone on the perimeter has to score to keep Team USA's defense honest. Lelik won't be able to use her size the same way she did against Japan, however, and it will be interesting to see how she handles Team USA's physicality and athleticism.
USA vs. Hungary prediction
Team USA's poor showing against Italy has given every other country some hope that this will be the year the Americans' dominance at the World Cup ends. Even FIBA moved France to the top of its World Cup Power Rankings on Tuesday following the conclusion of the group stage.
And perhaps Team USA will fall in Berlin, but it won't be against Hungary. Could Juhász and Takacs-Kiss cause some problems inside? Sure, but only if they can get the ball in dangerous positions. Hungary's perimeter players will be severely overmatched on both ends of the floor, and there's no reason to expect their turnover problems to subside against Team USA, which has been dominant defensively.
Thursday's matchup will look much more like Team USA's wins over China (94-61) and Czechia (105-64) than the slugfest versus Italy. Pick: USA -30.5
